Island Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota240 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 37 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Island Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 37 ft. Surface area: 239.53 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2020 caught 12.10 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Island Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–15 inches. DNR survey details →
Island Lake is a 240-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 37 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Island Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 18
- Deep water37 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Island Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Island Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Island Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft. Phosphorus 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.9 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.9µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Island Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Island Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 61°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 63°F) and coldest in May (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (63°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 58 field readings (2023–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2020 caught 12.10 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Island Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–15 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Island Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2020-08-25 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2020-08-25 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 21.44 | 3–7 in 2020-08-03 | 0.14 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 8.29 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 5.08 | 5–15 in 2020-08-03 | 1.01 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 4.80 | 8–13 in 2020-08-03 | 0.68 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.80 | 3–10 in 2020-08-03 | 0.22 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Bullhead
Black Crappie
From the 2020-08-25 survey
Island Lake is a 240 acre lake, with a maximum depth of 37', located 4 miles southeast of Emily in Crow Wing County. Island is located in the Pine River watershed. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Ten 100' long sampling stations were evenly spaced…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Island Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — IslandFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Island (0224)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — IslandFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — IslandPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
37 ft
Surface area
240 acres
Shoreline
5.5 mi
Littoral zone
63%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
92 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,214 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Island LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Island Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Island Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Island Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Island Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 18
Earliest Apr 12, 2015 · Latest May 1, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 27
Earliest Nov 19, 2006 · Latest Nov 30, 2024
Most recent ice-out
May 1
2018
13 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Island Lake
Where is Island Lake?
- Island Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Island Lake?
- Island Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 37 ft. Surface area: 239.53 acres.
Is Island Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Island Lake?
- Island Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September, from 58 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Island Lake?
- Island Lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet. The lake covers 239.53 acres.
What fish are in Island Lake?
- Fish species found in Island Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Island Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Island Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2020 caught 12.10 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Island Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–15 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Island Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Island Lake thaw?
- Island Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 18. Ice typically forms around Nov 27. The open water season is approximately 223 days.
Are there boat ramps on Island Lake?
- Island Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Island Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Island Lake?
- Island Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Island Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
69 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA69 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate